rv’ing

well, it was a successful show – yea! too bad it’s a holiday weekend and thus, the cc deposits will probably be a day later than usual. however, that also means everything else is in limbo as well – so it’s a wash. ^_^

today we will be doing pretty much whatever we please – now that’s a rare treat. there is a flea market here at the fairgrounds, so as soon as i get myself dressed, we will walk over to check it out. then, i’m going to stop at the goodyear store and see if i can get that last old tire at least checked out. from there, it’s up the road to santa fe. beyond that – who knows.

arrived safe and sound – and that’s a very good thing! bobbie is with me, so i had some relief with the driving. we ended up staying in rest area’s instead of rv parks – saved some $$. ^_^ it was very hot the first day & a half. then, the clouds rolled in and it rained (in the distance). we encountered only enough to make the rig look filthy again. dang. it has stayed relatively cool since, which is a very good thing for sophie.

we got here a little later than planned due to a slight malfunction in the rig. no, not the engine – the bathroom door! we couldn’t open it. fortunately we were both on the outside! i had to remove the whole doorknob assembly- which meant one half was locked inside – and eventually got it to open. discovered the teflon ‘tube’ that covers the ‘plunger’ (the part that goes into the hole) had broken and a piece had gotten lodged in the hole! got it all back together, but given it had happened just as we were about to leave – caused a slight delay! then, we lost an hour when we crossed into n.m. turns out ariz doesn’t do dst, so we hadn’t lost the hour when we crossed that line and i had forgotten! grrr soooo, we got here after 1:00 instead of noon. and then found out we really could have started at 10:00 – despite the information i had been given. dang! it was ok, just meant we finished later!

as for the “rv park” – hah! rv parking lot! full hookups and blacktop. fortunately the only rv’s here are the 4 of us in the show. it’s the state fairgrounds. flashing marquee(sp???) advertising flea market every weekend, so don’t know what to expect tomorrow morning!! there is another large parking area – separated from this one by chainlink fence – with ‘electric islands’, so i’m sure the vendors will be setup over there. however, i am parked/hookups are, at that fence! hmmmm

as for the show – day one was pretty good. altho i am hoping it wasn’t ‘the best day’. ^_^

it is still very cloudy and there’s a good wind just now. and, speaking of now – time to move on here!

another d-day minus one. am nearly ready, just a few kits to assemble and i plan to cut more half yards to sell. sold several in albq. don’t expect to at this one, as myra and other fabric folks will be there – but ya just never know. always good to have it there. surely can’t sell it sitting on these shelves on the bolts. no, not in the fabric business, but sometimes i buy things that don’t get used. and sometimes i have bought a whole bolt and it takes a long time to use. need to keep things in flow.

been trying to get rested before the next go-round. after i unloaded the rv on tues, i took it to erv’s new ‘home’ – another storage yard – and we washed the outside and then i vacuumed the inside. only a year + of sand an dirt gathered from oregon to nm! and the outside! oh my! while my storage space is covered – it’s not so great. roof leaks and there are pigeons! need i say more? add the black road dirt. yuk! looks better now. probably won’t rain here again for a long time.

so, now i must get to it. i won’t be home again until tues afternoon. staying over monday to see shrink on tues. no sense driving all those miles back and forth when i’ll be so close – like about 20 min away.

still not home – at a rest area about 230 miles away. to the person who sent the nice comment – my tires must have used 8 lives before i got them! 😦 i have just gone thru one of my top 10 worst thoughts/fears, etc. a blowout, right front, at 65 mph and in the center lane on hwy 99 just north of bakersfield. looking back, i can say it must have been funny to watch – me trying to get this rig off the road – after successfully maintaining control, that is – and sophie scared by the noise, trying to get into my lap. whew – somehow we made it safely to the side.

i can now say that good sam has paid for itself. while i was waiting for the guy to come change the tire, i realized i really should have just requested a tow truck to take me to the nearest tire store!! there was no way i was going to attempt the last 255 miles with that other bad tire still on there! oh well – hind sight, ya know.

guy comes, gets tire changed – spare turned out to be brand new. he says up the road at delano, about 15 miles, just get off there – lots of tire stores right there.

yeah, right. i get to the delano ‘exit’, well – discover there are actually 3! of them. ok, now what??? take the first – nothing there. so take the feeder/frontage road and go into ‘town’. found a place, mexican – new and used. nope, only a used one like mine. so, he directs me to another place. also small mexican place. long story short, he puts on a tire that is very close. same brand, just a little heavier duty. gives me a great price and does it pronto!!! i must say it is a pleasure to not hear all that noise from the old tires. and there is no vibration/wobble or pulling. all is well. ok, cept for the wheel well and running board. will need a little repair work in that area.

so, am in this rest area – resting. waiting for both the temp and the traffic to lessen. and the wind. bout had all i can handle of that dang wind! i think it is the reason the fridge keeps going off. ??? never had the problem before. unless the propane gauge isn’t working properly, i still have more than a 1/4 tank. could just be low? seems i learn new stuff every time i use this thing. and never spent a whole week in it before.

ok, sophie is bugging me. it his her time and i guess she’s ready. she’s also had enough of this nonsense. it was plenty hot, windy and noisy waiting along the highway. nice here right now. found some shade.

well, can’t say the show itself was much – i barely made expenses, excluding the booth fee. that is, assuming i get back home with no mishaps. however, several potentially good things came out of it – which is often the case. i never discount a show for ‘itself’, i just look for what else is showing up.

in this case, looks like i’ll be at a show that happens in bend, or – during the ‘famous’ week prior to the even more ‘famous’ one day outdoor show in sisters. i am thrilled. also, i will be coming back here next year to teach and talk – probably. and i may even be back here next year for the really big show. so, i am happy i came.

having said that, it is sunday morning and i am looking at about 1100 miles before i see home again. with tires that are at least noisy – tho i have been (relatively) assured they are ‘safe’. keep your fingers crossed! ^_^

in a koa. will be leaving here soon as i shower, etc and have just 85 more miles to get to the show. today is about setup and then to the next rv park and a bit of rest before the show opens tomorrow morning.

it’s a long drive – 1115 miles, says yahoo. i had to haul it yesterday after dawdling and not caring. decided i really did want to see the celtics’ game AND wanted wifi to do some financial stuff. that meant, given where i was, i had to do 250 miles asap to get to this place – the only one listed in my good sam book (with both amenities). and i also had to stop for gas. and there was a mightly crosswind. the gods were with me tho, and the wind shifted while i was getting gas, thus giving me a tailwind for the better part of the trip. i actually had to use the cruise control in order to stay below the 75 mph limit! where before, it was all i could do to do get to 65! unfortunately, that did change at the end – plus there were several construction zones. i can say that this highway (I-40) is in dire need of being replaced! still a pain to deal with. so, i arrived just before halftime. just as well, i missed the only lousy part of the game when they seemed to try to give it away! now i just have to work out logistics to make sure i see the next one (or two).

ok, time to shower and get on the road again. hopefully setup will go faster than last week! that was an odd shape and the first time for the new rack, etc. still, that makes this one a first time as well – in terms of what i have to hang and what goes where on tables. and different tables, etc. each one is different, no matter what.

and so it begins – 6 weeks on the road. i leave early early morning – off to ft bragg for the first one. hoping to drive back home sunday night – 5 hrs will get me in here late, but i only have monday at home before heading to albuquerque tues morning. been a long time since i’ve done that kind of distance – alone. was just thinking, i used to drive back and forth between cin’ti and boston several times each year. and i always did it straight thru, over night. 15 – 18 hrs, depending on whether i stopped for a short nap. yahoo says this trip is 16 1/2 hrs – so no reason to worry!! not planning to do it straight thru – not in the rv. that thing does make me tired!

and so it goes – not in good spirits at the moment. my celtics just lost a game – at home!! and just been in a semi funk all day. preshow jitters, i guess. and wondering about so many in a row. also skipped lunch and nothing much healthy for dinner. just one of those off days all the way around. ^_^ be fine once i get to the show. wonder how many folks will be on the road already tomorrow – for the holiday. hope not so many. and i am definitely glad the wind seemed to be dying this afternoon. been very gusty around here! tough driving that big box in the wind.